Hawai’i County Council Raises Tobacco Purchase Age to 21

The Hawai’i County Council voted 9-0 on Wednesday to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 21, according to a statement issued by the Center for Tobacco-Free Kids. The vote comes a day after New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed a bill doing the same thing in the nation’s largest city.

The bill now goes to Mayor William P. Kenoi, and if it is signed, will go into effect on July 1, 2014.

Bill 135 includes a grandfather period for those older than 18 when the bill takes effect. Much like the legislation passed in New York City, the bill targets retailers who sell tobacco products to those under 21, with fines starting at $500 for the first offense and reaching $2,000 for subsequent offenses. The legislation was authored by Councilman Dru Mamo Kanuha.

The bill covers any tobacco product intended for human consumption, including but not limited to cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, snuff and electronic smoking devices.

Hawai’i County also joins Needham and Canton, Massachusetts in raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco to 21. Needham’s law has been in effect since 2005, while Canton’s law takes effect January 1, 2014. While the federal minimum age to purchase tobacco is 18, Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey and Utah have raised the age to 19.

Currently, Washington D.C.’s City Council is developing a similar proposal, with reports of nearly half the council currently in favor.

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the Spring Training public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies, PA announcer for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, and PA announcer for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA. I'm also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice talent and writer, among other things. I previously covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.